Recovery of Souls
by becks89
Summary: Starts before 'Watching'. Hermione is captured by Malfoy and tortured. She's saved, but she's broken, mentally and emotionally. She may never be the same again. Can her friends help her return to her old self, or will she remain in her shell? R&R!


Disclaimer: Everything (except David, whom I made up) belongs to J.K Rowling. Please don't sue!

Notes: Wow. I mean wow. I was totally overwhelmed by the response I got for 'Watching'. I'm so glad people liked it, and most of you said to do a sequel. Well, it would have been cool to do a sequel…but I decided to do a prequel kind of thing…this is just basically going to be everything leading up to 'Watching'. So you get to find out what happens with Malfoy and Hermione.

It will be plenty of angst, and this story will be pretty dark. So I'm gonna warn you now. Turn away if you don't want dark.

Pairing: some David/Hermione, and some Sirius/Hermione. This story will not be about the pairing Sirius/Hermione, because you all know how it ends. It's just everything leading up.

Timeline: Originally in Watching I said 2 years after Hogwarts. I'm changing that, because it won't fit. Watching took place about three to four years after Hogwarts, and this takes place about a year before Watching.

Ok, I don't have anything else to say except: Enjoy it!

Hermione hoisted her bag onto her back again, feeling the heavy contents shift inside it. It was filled with books, books on curses, evil wizards, basically anything to help with the current war with Voldemort. Even the muggles knew there was something wrong. Hermione looked around her, and the almost bare street. Cars drove by in a manic speed, muggles hurried quickly down the road, their hands shoved in pockets, their heads bent, trying to look inconspicuous.

Hermione was not quite sure what the English government had told the Muggles, it was something about a conflict, and people should be aware of danger. But even muggles knew it was more than your average conflict. And so they were being extra cautious.

Hermione sighed as a young man hurried past her, bumping into her painfully as he passed.

"Thank you." Hermione said loudly and sarcastically, turning around.

He looked back at her as he walked on, a cigarette dangling precariously from his mouth. He smirked, and gave her the finger.

"Idiot." Hermione hissed, before turning around and hoisting her bag once again onto her back. It was times like these when she wished she could just hex muggles into oblivion.

She huffed and watched as hot air mixed with the cold December air. Hermione had always loved the cold, but sometimes it got a bit too much. Her large felt coat was not warm enough for her, and the scarf twisted around her neck was not thick enough to keep the air biting her neck. She hurried on, turning a corner, her mind wandering to her house in North London, where a hot bath and a cup of steaming tea was waiting for her.

Hermione smiled, her boyfriend of one year, David, always knew what she wanted when she returned home from the Ministry. They shared a house together, David had moved in just two months ago. He was an assistant coach of the Chudley Cannons, and had met Ron after a match fifteen months ago. David and Ron had become fast friends, and in turn, David and Hermione had become friends. And then lovers.

Before long, she had arrived at her house and was rummaging through her rucksack for her keys. She lived in a muggle part of London, roughly half an hour from Diagon Alley and about an hour from the Ministry of Magic. But she liked it here, it felt nice sometimes to escape to a place were magic was not around.

Hermione hastily unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping into the narrow hall, where beige colours flew out at her. She hurriedly shut the door and put the chain on it. She wasn't expecting anyone tonight. She dropped her bag from her back and placed it next to the coat hanger. She unwrapped her scarf and placed it on the hanger. Then she shrugged off her coat and hung it. She then put her keys, which had still been in her hand, on the mantelpiece, under the mirror. She ruffled her long, curly hair and took the pile of letters and bills from the table. It was the routine she had been following for the past two years, ever since she had moved here. She rifled through them, moving through the hall and into the living room. She frowned as she was engulfed in dark, and she switched the light on.

"Surprise!"

Hermione screamed and dropped the letters, only immediately pulling out her wand from her pocket in her jeans.

And she screamed again as she saw who was standing in her living room. Grinning from ear to ear were all her friends and family, each one of them holding gifts. David's grin was the largest of all, and he stood in the front of the crowd, gazing at her adoringly.

"Merlin…" Hermione breathed, resting a hand on her chest.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione." Harry said sweetly, holding out a colourfully wrapped package.

"What are you all doing here?" Hermione asked.

"Fine, we'll just go then." Fred said, and Hermione hurriedly shook her head.

"No! Don't go!" Hermione laughed. "Stay, please stay. I'm just wondering why you'll all here, my birthday was four months ago." She said pointedly, looking at Ron, who grinned sheepishly. He had forgotten her last birthday, and she always made a point to remind him of it.

"You've been working so hard these last couple of months…I just wanted to throw you a party." David said bashfully, and colour rose in Hermione's cheeks.

"Aw…that's so sweet." Hermione cooed, kissing him softly. Whistles and cheers erupted in the room and Hermione flushed a darker red than she already was. She parted from David and glared at George, who was whistling the loudest. The whistling and cheering stopped as she started to speak.

"I don't have food…" She said regretfully, but the group on the right parted, and Molly Weasley pointed to the table full of food and drink. Hermione giggled delightfully, and she said: "Thanks Molly."

"How do you know I didn't make it?" David asked innocently, and Hermione grinned.

"Your lasagne turns out mush…" Hermione explained, and David laughed.

"It tastes alright though." He defended.

"It takes like asparagus." Hermione said, wrinkling her nose. "I hate asparagus…and you don't even use asparagus in your lasagne!"

David smiled and pushed away a stray hair from Hermione's eyes. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He asked nervously, and Hermione nodded warily.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked as the pair slipped out of the room, almost unnoticed.

"Nothing." He stammered, leading them their bedroom. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"We can't, we've got guests downstairs." Hermione protested, and David looked back at her, arching a brow.

"What?" He asked, confused, and Hermione nodded to the plush bed. He grinned and winked. "Good idea, but that's not why I wanted to come up here."

"So why then?" David smiled secretly to himself and then moved over to the bureau, opening a drawer. He took out the top thing in the drawer and then closed it, holding whatever he took out behind his back. Hermione stared puzzled at him. "David?"

With a sly grin, David brought out his left hand from behind his back. In his clutches was a small envelope. "Here."

Hermione did as he instructed and took the envelope. She neatly opened it and took out the card, smiling as she caught sight of the words.

_'To my darling girlfriend.'___

It read. With a quick glance back at David, she opened the card and gasped.

_'Dear Hermione._

_I love you more than words can describe, so that is why I'm not going to try and write them. You know how much you mean to me, and I treasure every moment I spend with you. Happy anniversary,_

_David.'_

Hermione looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "I forgot…" She said in an effort to explain herself, but she felt awful doing so. How did she forget their anniversary?

David shrugged. "It doesn't matter." He said truthfully, and Hermione made to hug him, but he stopped her. At Hermione's questioning look, he explained. "I've got something to say to you." Hermione withdrew her hands and nodded.

David knelt down on one knee, and took her hand in his. Hermione gasped, and her free hand flew to her mouth. David smiled nervously, and took out a box from behind his back. He opened it and in it sparkled a simple but beautiful diamond ring. David took a deep breath.

"Hermione, I love you so much…more than anybody I have ever loved before. You make me so happy…and I want to try and make you feel the way I do. You mean the world to me, and at times like these, I want you close. I want you with me forever...and that is why I'm asking for you to marry me."

Hermione's eyes shone with tears and she nodded. "Yes." She choked, and David sighed in relief.

"Really?"

"Really." Hermione half laughed, half sobbed, as she flung her arms around his neck.

"Wow." He said, before he kissed her.

Hermione was giddy with delight by the time they got back downstairs, ten minutes later. With her right hand enclosed in David's and her left hand adorned with her new ring, she laughed as she entered the living room. Guests were mingling, eating and drinking, but they stopped as they pair came back into the room. David held Hermione close, and with an adoring look shared by both of them, David told them the news.

"I've asked Hermione to marry me." He announced, and the whole room gasped. Ron's eyes were popping out as he stared at his best friend.

"And?" He asked.

Hermione grinned and lifted her left hand, showing everyone the ring. The room burst into applause and people came swarming towards her to congratulate her. She squealed as Ron picked her up and spun her in the air, and squealed again when he put her down and Harry did the same. Ginny congratulated her and dropped a 'subtle' hint about the maid of honour; her parents were over whelmed with excitement and Lupin congratulated her with a warm hug. In fact, everyone was excited and tremendously happy, except for one.

He stood at the wall, a glass clutched in one hand, a paper towel in the other. His hand holding the paper towel was tightening around the towel, and it was getting crumpled. His dark eyes were ablaze with jealousy. For Sirius Black had just learnt that the girl he loved was getting married to someone other than him, and he was incredibly jealous.

"Honey, I'm home!" Hermione shouted as she opened the door. She smiled to herself, she loved saying that. David always got annoyed whenever she did. She shut the door hurriedly and sighed in pleasure as she felt the cool air circulate around her. It was early May, and it was boiling outside. It was such a pleasure to come home to an air conditioned home. Repeating the routine she did every time she came home, she picked up the bills and walked into the living room, rifling through them. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw who stood there.

"Ah, Miss Granger. How nice of you to join us." Lucius Malfoy drawled. Three other Death Eaters in the room cackled and David whimpered. He was gagged and was bound with invisible ropes around his wrists and ankles. Blood poured from an open wound at his temple, and his eyes pleaded with Hermione to not do anything rash. Hermione dropped the bills and her hand immediately flew to her pocket, where her wand lay. As soon as she had grasped it however, Malfoy shouted:

_"Expelliarmus!"_ Her wand flew to his hand. "You won't need that."

The sinking feeling in her stomach that had been growing ever since she had stepped into the room grew worse. Much worse. For Hermione knew at that instant, that she was going to die.

Hehehe…mucho fun! I don't know when I'll be able to update this, because I have a lot going on right now, but I'll try my best. Any suggestions on where you would like this fic to go are definitely welcome! Please review!


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